Updated

New reporting revealed that ten days before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Netanyahu ordered Israel to 'act to contain, minimize the escalation' in Gaza after Egypt's intelligence chief warned of a possible Hamas escalation and advised concessions. A separate New York Times report said Netanyahu had opposed security chiefs' proposals to target Hamas officials before the attack, citing a need for calm in Gaza to protect potential Saudi normalization talks, without disclosing a warning he had personally received from the UAE. The revelations add to ongoing scrutiny of the Israeli government's pre-war intelligence failures and decision-making, feeding into domestic political debates ahead of Israel's coming elections.